Court tells cop to rush to JJ, record critical teen’s new statement

Inspector Chandrashekhar Gaikwad, who was at the Bombay High Court on Thursday for his work, was ordered by the judges to rush to JJ Hospital and record the statement of a 17-year-old girl, who is battling for her life.

Malegaon resident Sana Ahmed, who was undergoing a religious course at Kulliyatut Tahera Madarssa, was allegedly forced to drink acid by Rasheda, sister of chief trustee Abdul Rehman Gavkari, on June 30.

On Thursday, lawyer Narayan Bubna mentioned the petition filed by Sana’s mother, Sayara, and argued that Sana had revealed that Rasheda had forced her drink acid, but her name was missing from her statement purportedly recorded by the Malegaon police on July 14.

He added that now when Sana is willing to make a statement nobody was recording it.

Considering the urgency of the case, a division bench of Justice B.H. Marlapalle and Justice Anoop Mohta ordered inspector Gaikwad, who is attached to the Local Arms 4 branch, to record a fresh statement of the teenager through a special executive magistrate on Thursday itself.

After the incident, the residential school management had admitted Sana to a private hospital at Malegaon and later shifted her to Shatabdi Hospital at Nasik.

When her condition deteriorated, an officer from Azad Nagar police station from Malegaon recorded her statement on July 14.

Sana’s mother, however, alleged the statement was manipulated by Gavkari, who owns more than 600 looms and heads nearly 52 madarsa trusts.

Sayara contended her daughter was not in a position to speak on July 14, when the purported statement was recorded, and even today she could barely speak.

The Bombay High Court directed Gaikwad to submit Sana’s fresh statement on Friday, when the bench is likely to consider Sayara’s plea to transfer the probe to an independent agency.